Sharing the Love with One Lovely Blog Award

Forrest and I were recently honored with the One Lovely Blog Award by esteemed writer, blogger, and WANA Tribe member Janice Heck. If you’ve never visited her blog, My Turn, you’re missing out on some delightful, entertaining, and inspiring posts.

I’m linking back to her One Lovely Blog Award post because it includes 7 interesting facts about her that make for a lovely introduction to her blog. Thank you, Janice, for thinking of Forrest and I, and bestowing us this award.

After receiving this gracious nomination, we googled it in an attempt to discover more about its origin and meaning. It’s long, prestigious history is well hidden on the internet.

Despite its secretive nature, we found numerous badges for the award and Forrest was immediately smitten with the image of the butterfly tree. He asked that the color be changed from bright pink to his favorite eco-friendly green. Who am I to say no to a clearly smitten frog?

The rules for accepting the award were more easily located than its origin and history. They are:

• Thank the person who nominated you and link back to them in your post:

Thanks again, Janice. Forrest was tickled green when he learned who nominated us!

• Share seven little known facts about yourself:

Since most facts about me are little known, this should be a hop in the park. So my 7 little known facts of randomness are:

Photo by Jonathan Choe / Flickr

1) On a childhood trip to Georgia, I filled our empty hotel bathtub with tiny frogs from the parking lot. I told my mom I wanted to fall asleep to the sound of their singing and would release them in the morning. That was the night the word NOW took on entirely new meaning.

Photo by Bill Keaggy / Flickr

2) I became a vegetarian in November 2010. Since then, I’ve lost 42 pounds and resolved a host of chronic health issues. Morningstar Farms soy-based meat substitutes are personal favorites more appetizing than the real thing. Boca burger, anyone?

3) My favorite flavor (of anything) is key lime: key lime pie, key lime cake, key lime flavored water, key lime yogurt, key lime ice cream … so whatever it is, make mine key lime!

4) Several times in the last six months, my battery drained GPS has mysteriously powered on and announced, “In 100 yards, you have reached your destination.” I find this seriously creepy and am wondering if I should trade in mayhem for old fashioned maps.

5) My phobias are spiders, snakes, and commercial air travel. See, I can’t even bring myself to post a photo of the first two.

6) Please don’t recommend movies or documentaries without advance warning if animals die in the end. Give me spoilers so I know to have plenty of tissues on hand. I’m a real softie like that.

Photo by Rex Hammock / Flickr

7) One of my Bucket List items is a trip to Key West, FL to drive Seven Mile Bridge, visit Hemingway House, and watch the stunning sunsets. Of course there would have to be time for sea kayaking and maybe a tandem skydive over the ocean … preferably at sunset!

• Nominate up to 15 bloggers you follow and admire:

Choosing blogger nominees is by far the most difficult task, not only because there are so many worthy blogs and bloggers, but because it’s also difficult to know who’s received a particular award. After much deliberation, our nominees are:

Ellen Gregory at To Beyond and Back

Sara Walpert Foster at Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition

Sherri Martin-Hutchins at Live Wonderstruck

Alina Sayre at Illuminations

DB Smyth at Broken Pieces and Beautiful Things

SM Nonnemacher at Barefoot Bliss

SJ Driscoll at Come Sit By My Fire

Ben DeVries at Not One Sparrow

Judythe Morgan at Voices and Views from the Front Porch

Helen McMullin at Foofaraws by Helen: The Ties That Bind

Jennifer Oliver at World Beneath the Evening Star

Barbara Forte Abate at Scribbling Outside the Lines

Mike Schulenberg at Realms of Perilous Wonder

Linda Adams at Soldier, Storyteller

Sherry Isaac at Psychological Sizzle

If Forrest and I have nominated someone who’s already received this award, well … we just wanted you to know we think your blog is lovely too!

Frogs: A Species in Peril

Amphibians are the most endangered group of animals on our plant and for the last 15 years, their numbers have been declining at an alarming rate.

Nearly one-third of the 6,485 species are now on the brink of extinction. Since 1979, close to 200 species have disappeared forever, victims of an amphibious assault that continues to decimate entire populations and ecosystems.

Habitat destruction, invasive species, pathogens, climate change, over-harvesting for the pet and food trade, and pollution and pesticides are all contributing factors. However, a fungus called chytrid seems to be a major cause and to date, scientists have been unable to stop it from spreading.

Amphibians are both vital predators and prey in the structure of many ecosystems. Due to their position in the middle of the food chain, their decline affects both the species that depend on them for food, and the insect populations they control.

Entire ecosystems are slowly unraveling as frog calls are replaced by silence, and the species who depend on them begin to disappear too.

In May 2008, SAVE THE FROGS! was founded by Ecologist, Dr. Kerry Kriger. Comprised of a team of international scientists, educators, policymakers, and naturalists, STF is America’s only nonprofit organization dedicated to amphibian conservation.

Their goal is to prevent extinction of the world’s frogs, toads, newts, salamanders, and caecilians through environmental education, legal defense, land acquisitions, lobbying for necessary environmental protections that currently do not exist, and conducting and funding scientific research.

You can connect with them via their website or Facebook page. Their website is a great resource of facts, photos, contests, and ways you can help. While you’re there, sign up for their free newsletter and stop by The FrogBlog for frequent updates on all things amphibious.

The 2009 50-minute PBS Documentary, Frogs: The Thin Green Line, takes a candid look at what’s being called “the greatest mass extinction since the dinosaurs.” In a web-exclusive video, filmmaker, Allison Argo discusses the making of the documentary and calls the disappearance of the worlds frogs, “probably the most important environmental story of our time.”

According to the film, “frogs may seem small and insignificant, but their bodies may hold the key to future medical miracles” particularly as it relates to pain management, the prevention of infections, and HIV treatments.

Medical miracles or no, a world without frogs will be a much smaller, sterile, and silent place.

My name is Forrest and I approved this message

“Many people ask ‘what does it matter if we lose a species?’ Only one species, Homo sapiens, has the capacity to eliminate other species on the planet. Unique among the animal world, we are accountable for our actions and future generations will hold us responsible. The question we should be asking ourselves is: “how can we justify eliminating even a single species from this planet?” -Dr. Jean-Marc Hero

The WikiRandom Writers Challenge: June 2012 Edition

In February, the wildly creative Laird Sapir launched the first WikiRandom Writers Challenge. The object of the challenge is to write a 3-sentence story based on a prompt generated by clicking the ‘random article’ button on Wikipedia. The prompt must be used in one of the 3 sentences of your entry.

To quote Laird, “the winner will receive adoration and praise, a nifty badge to display on his/her website, and the judge’s mantle for the next round of the challenge, which they will host on their blog in July, on a day of their choosing.”

Previous WikiRandom challenges and entries can be read and savored on the blogs of Laird Sapir, Sara Walpert Foster, Ellen Gregory, and Jodi Lea Stewart. All are highly entertaining bits of flash fiction, and delightful reads. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

I was honored to be announced the May winner by Jodi Lea Stewart, and am hyped to host the June round of the challenge.

Forrest is bug-eyed with excitement at the prospect of reading and judging June’s entries.

(I acquiesced).

Repeated readings of Lord of the Flies have left him hungry for new material and he’s hoping you’ll feed him a virtual buffet of creative offerings.

Photo by Brian Gratwicke / Flickr

So without further ado, your prompt is: into thin air

We hope you’ll hop all over it like Forrest on fruit flies.

Just post your 3-sentence entry in the comments section before noon on Friday, June 29th. The winner will be announced on Saturday evening, June 30th.

Have fun and please feed Forrest! He needs to build strength for the mud wrestling event that follows.

What Faith Can Do

On a recent trip to the shore, I was reminded how much of life’s journey is reflected in the rhythmical cycles of the sea.

Some days bring the joy of riding swells like seasoned surfers, while others pound us into the seabed and crush us against the ragged edges of coral reefs.

Our lives are marked by lines formed between high tide and low; swells that lift us to unimaginable heights, troughs that leave us aimlessly adrift with no sense of direction or purpose, and rip currents that threaten to pull us under and out to sea.

When life throws us against the rocks, battered and bruised, it’s sometimes hard to pick ourselves up and continue the fight. Endings can seem like just that, instead of rich opportunities for new beginnings that leave us stronger for having survived them.

Occasionally, the greatest truths are found in the simplest forms; they speak to us through a selfless deed, a chance encounter, or a song. Life has a way of gifting us with what we need when we need it most, and are ready to hear the message.

And sometimes those simplest gifts can be the most meaningful, enduring, and profound.

Is there a song, message, or encounter that’s spoken to you recently and helped you through a difficult time? If so, I’d love to hear about it in the comments section. God Bless!

The Octopus Knows: Part 11

In early April, the ever creative Laird Sapir suggested a collaborative fiction writing project that would unfold across the blogs of writers from various genres.

The only rule is that each writer must continue the story at the point the last writer left off, beginning their chapter with a link to the previous entry and ending with a link to the next writer on the list.

The complete list of participants with links to each installment is available at The Octopus Knows.

Thanks Laird, for creating and hosting such a delightful and entertaining Round Robin.

The latest entry by Veronica Valli left off here:

The air crackled with tension as Marguerite wondered which way he would go.

Would he trust her?

What did he know?

Could they both get out of this alive?

He relaxed first his hand emerging empty. “Marguerite, if the octopus knows then we don’t have much time. I’ve got to get to him. Will you help me? For old times sake?”

His eyes smiled briefly at her, for a second she saw the old Simon, memories came flooding back. It was too late, too long ago. She would kill him if she had to, she would do whatever it took to protect the secret.

She felt her heart harden again; she couldn’t be distracted by the past.

“Marguerite, you have to help me!” He was becoming frantic.

She was about to answer when they heard the sound of screaming coming from the apartment above them…

Simon looked up to the fourth floor balcony of the apartment in question. All he could see was the skeletal husk of a long-dead houseplant and a section of cream-colored drapery billowing out the open patio door, a ghostly tethered spirit straining skyward.

Before he could turn back to Marguerite, he felt the ground shake as brick and glass rained from above, several large pieces landing on the roof and hood of a newer model Lexus parked at the curb. He grabbed Marguerite by the arm and roughly dragged her into the dimly lit, deserted lobby.

He wasn’t leaving without Ninja and he wasn’t about to let her out of his sight. The building continued to shake in fitful, spasmodic tremors as clouds of dust and debris battled daylight outside the lobby doors.

Simon felt Marguerite’s nails dig into the back of his hand as she tore loose from his grip. Eyes narrowed, trembling with anger, she met his gaze with hostile defiance.

“You pompous, simple-minded idiot! You’re going to get us BOTH killed. Have you even thought about what happens then?”

“No, actually I haven’t”, he said. “Because what happens to us isn’t worth a tinker’s damn if Ninja’s lost? And we don’t have time to stand here arguing now, do we?”

Marguerite stepped out of her heels, bent over, grabbed a shoe in each hand, and thought what an effective weapon they would make. She could easily plant the sharp end of one heel between Simon’s eyes and solve part of the problem where it stood.

But what if she wasn’t privy to every critical piece of information? She felt her growing paranoia justified since her most recent conversation with Mr. Jones. She was fairly certain he had no idea of the extent of her betrayal. But what if he suspected? Perhaps death wasn’t the worst alternative.

Two screams of varied pitch and tone reverberated down the elevator shaft as Simon and Marguerite glanced from each other to the stairs. Even though he knew Mr. Jones owned the building and Braden was the only resident, he still half-expected to see the lobby fill as the shaking building dislodged and regurgitated hordes of horrified occupants.

No. Other than Braden, only ghosts walked these halls; restless, unsettled spirits who had no intention of leaving the scene of their earthly demise.

Simon shuddered at the thought and felt the hair on his arms and neck stand at attention. He reached for the left sleeve of his jacket with his right hand and withdrew his wand just as Marguerite’s hand disappeared into her purse in search of her own.

“See you on the 4th floor,” he said and disappeared before she could respond.

“Well, I guess we had the same idea,” Marguerite said as they stood in the hallway outside Apartment 4A.

“Only fools rush in without a battle plan,” Simon whispered. “So, what is it?”

Both strained to hear any sound of movement from the room beyond the door. The screams had stopped before they left the lobby, and the only sounds Simon could hear were the agonizing groans of a distressed building resettling on its foundation.

“Stay here until I give the okay,” Simon warned her. “At least one of us needs to make it out of here alive.”

For once, Marguerite conceded without argument. She was about to voice her stipulations when she realized she was alone in the hall.

“Holy mother of …” Before Simon could issue further expletives, Marguerite was beside him, mouth open in abject horror, searching for words she’d never find.

Ninja had wedged his body into a corner of the wall, tentacles grasping baseboard, doorknob, and any projection that might prevent him from slipping into the bottomless fissure that now divided the room.

Clicking his parrot-like beak in agitated consternation, he looked from Simon to Marguerite, his words clipped and precise: “I don’t know which of you is responsible or what you’ve unleashed, but it’s not from this world…”

“And it has Mr. Jones.”

To be continued by Tami Clayton

Serendipity and The Versatile Blogger Award

Some days we’re graced with unexpected moments of joy and serendipity.

Last Wednesday I came home from work to find a family of rabbits playing tag in the backyard, 2 goldfinches performing an intricate mid-air ballet above the bird feeder, and 3 hummingbirds vying for position at the front porch nectar bar.

When I signed onto Twitter, I discovered that fellow WANA alum and ‘creator and destroyer of worlds,’ Mike Schulenberg had nominated me for The Versatile Blogger Award.

Thank you, Mike for adding another smile and more joy to my day!

I’m honored and Forrest was speechless. He wants to know if this flower makes his eyes look big.

As with most blog awards, there are certain rules you must follow to accept the nomination. The official WordPress VBA site lists them as follows:

• Thank the person who gave you the award and link to their blog.

I guess I jumped the gun on this one in the second paragraph, but thank you again, Mike!

• Select 15 blogs you follow and enjoy, and nominate them for the award.

I read and follow a lot of blogs so choosing only 15 wasn’t easy. Many of these deserving bloggers may already have been nominated, but since I have no way of knowing, here’s my original list:

1. Susan Chernak McElroy at Animals as Teachers and Healers 

2. Ben DeVries at Not One Sparrow 

3. Michael Cogdill at Throwing a Bash for the Written Word

4. Alina Sayre at Illuminations

5. Deb Reilly at A Blog Devoted to Unbranded Faith, Humor, and Mindfulness

6. Barbara Forte Abate at Scribbling Outside the Lines

7. Jodi Lea Stewart at Walking on Sunshine

8. Susi Nonnemacher at Barefoot Bliss

9. S.M. Hutchins at Life After Web and Live Wonderstruck

10. Sherry Isaac at Psychological Sizzle

11. Janice Heck at My Turn

12. Judythe Morgan at http://judythewriter.wordpress.com/

13. Nikki Figular at Obsessive Chihuahua Disorder

14. Ann Foweraker at The Practical Hedgehog Writes

15. Christine Davis at Lighthearted Press

• Tell 7 random things about yourself:

I’ll make this as short, sweet, and random as possible because sometimes less is more.

1. Road trips usually include frequent stops to rescue misguided turtles. They don’t seem to fare as well as the chickens crossing the road.

2. My first purchase from a winning Powerball ticket would be a small Caribbean island to be populated with rescue chihuahuas from US kill shelters. Chihuahua Beach would be ruled by the tiny seniors and special needs. Palm trees and little hammocks would be plentiful because siestas rule the day!

3. There’s not much I hate worse than going to the dentist. Novacaine, drilling, and root canals are the stuff of nightmares. A dentist would make a great antagonist in a Stephen King horror novel.

4. There aren’t many shoes in my closet and 50% of them are flip flops.

5. I’ve never been a fan of cold weather. Snow is beautiful – on post cards, calendars, and the Big-Screen, but I prefer tropical latitudes and longitudes.

6. Life is a soundtrack and my iPod is an eclectic mix of country, pop, rock, classical, New Age, contemporary Christian, and movie tunes. About the only thing you won’t find is heavy metal, hip-hop, or rap.

7. My dogs are fashion conscious and have a better wardrobe than I do.

Enough about me. I hope you’ll share some of your favorite blogs or a random fact about yourself in the comments section below. They’re major serendipity!